Filter tip structure for cigarette

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6318376
  • Patent Number
    6,318,376
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, December 7, 1999
    25 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, November 20, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Silverman; Stanley S.
    • Lopez; Carlos
    Agents
    • Rosenberg, Klein & Lee
Abstract
A cigarette filter tip structure includes a cigarette holder, and a filter base mounted on the bottom of the cigarette holder. The cigarette holder includes a compartment defined therein and having a bottom formed with a shoulder, the compartment having a center defining a compression hole, four L-shaped support bases each mounted in an inner wall of the compartment, and each having a bottom formed with a transversely extending positioning portion. The filter base has a top defining a filter recess for receiving the shoulder of the cigarette holder, and a bottom defining a passage and formed with a mouth suction portion. The filter base includes a plurality of filter pieces each located adjacent to the bottom of the filter recess, a plurality of filter spaces each defined between two adjacent filter pieces and each connecting to the passage, an oil collecting needle mounted in a center of the filter pieces and located under the compression hole, and a protruding ring mounted in the filter base and located between the filter recess and the passage, the protruding ring defining a through hole connecting between the filter spaces and the passage.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




The present invention relates to a filter tip structure, and more particularly to a filter tip structure for a cigarette.




2. Description of the Related Art




A conventional cigarette filter tip comprises a filter tip base made of active carbon, a filter, and a cigarette pipe fitted with each other. The cigarette pipe has a two-layer cigarette support compartment of an inner cone, and a plurality of radiating arranged holes. The filter includes a collecting surface with a roughness, and an annular oil collecting groove located under the collecting surface. However, the conventional cigarette filter tip composed of a filter tip base made of active carbon, a filter, and a cigarette pipe includes multiple components, thereby greatly increasing the cost of manufacture. In addition, the conventional cigarette filter tip having a complex structure is not easily assembled and dismantled. Further, the two-layer cigarette support compartment in the cigarette pipe has a plane shape so that the cigarette cannot be rigidly and stably received in the two-layer cigarette support compartment. The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the disadvantage of the conventional cigarette filter tip.




BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cigarette filter tip structure comprising a cigarette holder having a compartment defined therein and having a bottom formed with a shoulder, the compartment having a center defining a compression hole, four L-shaped support bases each mounted in an inner wall of the compartment, and each having a bottom formed with a transversely extending positioning portion; and a filter base mounted on the bottom of the cigarette holder and having a top defining a filter recess for receiving the shoulder of the cigarette holder, and a bottom defining a passage and formed with a mouth suction portion, a plurality of filter pieces each mounted in the filter base and each located adjacent to the bottom of the filter recess, a plurality of filter spaces each defined between two adjacent filter pieces and each connecting to the passage, an oil collecting needle mounted in a center of the filter pieces and located under the compression hole, a protruding ring mounted in the filter base and located between the filter recess and the passage, the protruding ring defining a through hole connecting between the filter spaces and the passage.




Further benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after a careful reading of the detailed description with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is an exploded perspective view of a cigarette filter tip structure in accordance with the present invention; and





FIG. 2

is a front plan cross-sectional assembly view of the cigarette filter tip structure as shown in FIG.


1


.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




Referring to

FIGS. 1 and 2

, a cigarette filter tip structure in accordance with the present invention comprises a cigarette holder


20


, and a filter base


30


mounted on the bottom of the cigarette holder


20


. The cigarette holder


20


has a compartment


21


defined therein and has its bottom formed with a shoulder


24


. The compartment


21


has a center defining a compression hole


23


. Four L-shaped support bases


22


are each mounted in the inner wall of the compartment


21


, and each have its bottom formed with a transversely extending positioning portion


221


. Each of the support bases


22


is arranged in an inclined manner so that the cigarette holder


20


can be used to support cigarettes


40


,


50


of different dimensions therein.




The filter base


30


has a top defining a filter recess


31


for receiving the shoulder


24


of the cigarette holder


20


, and a bottom defining a passage


34


and formed with a mouth suction portion


33


. A plurality of filter pieces


311


are each mounted in the filter base


30


and are each located adjacent to the bottom of the filter recess


31


. A plurality of filter spaces


312


are each defined between two adjacent filter pieces


311


and each connect to the passage


34


. An oil collecting needle


32


is mounted in a center of the filter pieces


311


and located under the compression hole


23


. Preferably, the oil collecting needle


32


has a trapezoid shape. A protruding ring


35


is mounted in the filter base


30


and is located between the filter recess


31


and the passage


34


. The protruding ring


35


defines a through hole


36


connecting between the filter spaces


312


and the passage


34


.




By such an arrangement, the shoulder


24


of the cigarette holder


20


is fitted into the filter recess


31


of the filter base


30


so that the bottom of the shoulder


24


abuts the filter pieces


311


in the filter recess


31


, thereby forming the entire cigarette filter tip structure. When the cigarette


40


is inserted into the compartment


21


of the cigarette holder


20


, the support bases


22


can be used to enhance the stability of the cigarette


40


. The smoke produced by the cigarette


40


is introduced into the lower portion of the cigarette holder


20


through the compression hole


23


. The smoke introduced through the compression hole


23


into the filter base


30


directly hits the oil collecting needle


32


and the filter pieces


311


such that poisonous material contained in the smoke such as tar, nicotine and the like directly hits the oil collecting needle


32


and the filter pieces


311


in the filter recess


31


, thereby attaching the heavier poisonous tar and nicotine contained in the smoke to the oil collecting needle


32


and the filter pieces


311


, thereby achieving a filtering effect. When the filtered smoke is introduced into the through hole


36


of the protruding ring


35


through the filter spaces


312


, the smoke directly hits the protruding ring


35


such that the tar contained in the smoke will be attached to the protruding ring


35


, thereby greatly decreasing the amount of tar that enters and attaches to the passage


34


.




Each of the support bases


22


is arranged in an inclined manner in the compartment


21


such that the cigarette holder


20


can be used for supporting cigarettes


40


,


50


of different dimensions therein. In addition, the transversely extending positioning portion


221


of each of the support bases


22


can be used to support the cigarette


40


of a smaller dimension such that the cigarette


40


will not directly contact the bottom of the compartment


21


.




It should be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.



Claims
  • 1. A cigarette filter tip structure comprising:a cigarette holder (20) having a compartment (21) defined therein and having a bottom formed with a shoulder (24), said compartment (21) having a center defining a compression hole (23), four L-shaped support bases (22) each mounted in an inner wall of said compartment (21), and each having a bottom formed with a transversely extending positioning portion (221); and a filter base (30) mounted on said bottom of said cigarette holder (20) and having a top defining a filter recess (31) for receiving said shoulder (24) of said cigarette holder (20), and a bottom defining a passage (34) and formed with a mouth suction portion (33), a plurality of filter pieces (311) each mounted in said filter base (30) and each located adjacent to the bottom of said filter recess (31), a plurality of filter spaces (312) each defined between two adjacent filter pieces (311) and each connecting to said passage (34), an oil collecting needle (32) mounted in a center of said filter pieces (311) and located under said compression hole (23), a protruding ring (35) mounted in said filter base (30) and located between said filter recess (31) and said passage (34), said protruding ring (35) defining a through hole (36) connecting between said filter spaces (312) and said passage (34).
  • 2. The cigarette filter tip structure in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of said support bases (22) is arranged in an inclined manner.
  • 3. The cigarette filter tip structure in accordance with claim 1, wherein said oil collecting needle (32) has a trapezoid shape.
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Number Name Date Kind
3650278 Cook Mar 1972
3695274 Summers Oct 1972
4009724 Prohroff Mar 1977
4158364 Ligeti Jun 1979
4273142 Swanson et al. Jun 1981
4275745 Carosone Jun 1981
4466448 Aikman Aug 1984
4711254 Fleisher et al. Dec 1987
5472001 Nicholson Dec 1995
5540241 Kim Jul 1996
6006757 Lichtenberg Dec 1999